The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch is the fourth mission in R.U.S.E. and the third mission in the North African Campaign. The Story Thus Far... After his actions at Kasserine, Sheridan and Campbell meet with General Wetherby, who is the commanding officer for the Campaign. After being congratulated, Sheridan is given a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel after Campbell makes some discreet remarks to Wetherby. Given some second-rate tanks, he is ordered to support his Free French Allies in the new operation... Mission Overview This mission will be your introduction to two things: the Spy Ruse and basic strategy. The Spy Ruse allows you to precisely identify enemy units as long as they are not hidden or under Radio Silence. However its duration is short, for both balancing and strategic purposes. In this mission, you will be commanding a group of tanks to link up with your French allies. However the offensive in the sector takes a turn for the worse, as the remaining Italian units in the sector are much stronger than reported by Intelligence... Main Objectives: * - You have been given a squadron of Stuart tanks. As weak as they may be, they make up for it by being fast. Fight through the canyon and take out the German and Italian forces on the road to Sidi Aich. * - While you were capturing Sidi Aich, the French offensive has stalled. It seems that Intelligence had the wrong information and the Italian forces are stronger than they seem. Campbell has suggested you use "operatives" to gather information behind enemy lines... * - It seems that Germans knew of your plans and set up an anti-tank line; nothing with treads can get past them. Luckily, Campbell has requested Headquarters for infantry. Hold the city while the Engineers get the Barracks set up. * - Now that the 16th Infantry Regiment has arrived, you can take out the AT guns that have been harassing the French. Infantry forces along with a few armor units are still present, however. Coordinate with your infantry and armor units to ensure minimal losses. Bonus Objectives: * - Your Stuarts may be able to take on a single Panzer IV, but surely not two. Pull them back to the support of your newly acquired Lee tanks. Walkthrough When you begin the mission, you are given your first armored units - a squadron of Stuart light tanks. Although they have weak armament and armor, they make up for it with their speed. Move through the canyon and eliminate the Axis forces in the sector. Once again, you will encounter the Panzer IV close to the end of the valley. It can easily take out your Stuarts, so send all of your tanks to take it out. One or two of your Stuarts may be routed, but do not worry. As you exit the valley, you will encounter two more Panzer IVs. DO NOT ENGAGE. Even a small number of Panzer IVs can tear your Stuarts to shreds, especially on Wargamer difficulty. Fall back to where the Lee tanks were following you earlier; you will then gain control of these medium tanks. They have much higher armament and armor than the Stuarts, so use them to take out the Panzer IVs, with your Stuarts providing fire support if you wish. Doing this successfully without losing any tanks will earn you the bonus achievement. Right after, Colonel Leduc will inform you of his situation -- the Italian forces he encountered were much stronger than what was reported by Intelligence, and requests your support. Campbell will then inform you of the possibility of sending "operatives" behind enemy lines - the Spy Ruse. This Ruse will allow you to see which units are which along with what kind, as long as they are not hidden. However this Ruse only lasts for a short time, as the Germans quickly find the "operatives". Using the Spy Ruse will lead you to discover a German anti-tank gun line. It seems that the Germans knew you were coming. Because of the sheer amount of guns, none of your armor can get across the field safely to take out the guns. Luckily, Campbell requests infantry from Headquarters, who in turn sends Engineers to build a barracks to produce infantry. However, the enemies decided to counterattack then and now. Hold Sidi Aich Pass while the Engineers get to the city. Since you have four Lees and four Stuarts, sending two of each type to each point of entry will make it easy and simple to achieve this objective. Once the barracks are completed, you will receive command of the 16th Infantry Regiment. Move your infantry towards the anti-tank line to achieve another objective. However, some elements of enemy armor will still remain and will attempt to attack your infantry. This is where you will begin to use basic strategy. Using the Decryption Ruse, pull your infantry back when the tanks receive the command to attack them. Move up your armor in their place, but not so far that they will come under fire from the anti-tank guns. This will remove the threat of enemy armor shredding your infantry to pieces. Move up your infantry and take out the anti-tank guns. This will achieve the final objective and complete the mission. See Also * * Category:Campaign missions Category:North African campaign